The Lightning's Hand
by adsiderum
Summary: During their battle in Ba Sing Se, Azula shoots down Katara instead of Aang, distracting him enough to prevent him from mastering the Avatar State. Instead, he runs away from the city to save Katara. One little change in the story can make a world of difference. AU. *Warning: fluff*
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This fic is a story that my friend wrote and wanted me to post for her, so all credit for this amazing story goes to her :) A new chapter should be up every two weeks or so.

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

**The Lightning's Hand**

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_**Katara**_

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><p>"She got shot down by lightning. How is she still alive?" I hear my brother whisper.<p>

"After Azula shot her, she landed in a pool of water. It took me a while to get over to her and I guess she must have healed herself while she was lying there," Aang replies in an almost mothering tone.

"Should we put her in more?"

I feel three sets of eyes on me and I close my eyes tighter so they don't know that I am awake. However, with Toph in the group, resistance is futile.

"I think we should ask her," she says before the other two do anything drastic.

I open my eyes to give her a dirty look as I try to sit up. Aang rushes to me to gently push me back down.

"No, relax! We will take care of everything around here," he says once he gets to me.

"Aang," I reply, "I'm fine. I just want to get back to normal." I try to sit up again, but grunt because of the shooting pain in my stomach.

"You're not fine. Take a few days off - I even made dinner tonight."

"Thanks, Sokka, but…"

"No buts, Katara. We'll do everything around here for a while. We can pamper you for as long as you need us to."

"Fine," I reply hesitantly, "but can you bring me to some water?"

"Yeah, it's right through those trees, about 500 paces that-a-way. Snoozles can carry you there."

"Thank you for your kind offer, Toph," I say as Sokka picks me up.

"No problem, Sugar Queen. Anyway, I figured a rock bed ride might be a bit too bumpy to be comfortable in your current condition."

By this point, we have made it to the river and Sokka looks at me to make sure it's okay to put me in the river. I nod then continue to say, "Thank you, but could you just leave me here? Healing myself is going to take a while, but I do believe that it'll go quicker if I'm alone."

"Fine, but we'll be back in an hour to check on you," my overprotective brother replies.

They leave and I lay back in the water and let my healing bending come forth - that's the key with healing, you relax and let your bending consume you which lets you channel your energies elsewhere. I'm not sure yet, but I think that will be the key to unlocking more secrets in bending.

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I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know, I hear screaming. Not in pain, but in fear - the fear that you find in a battle. I try to sit up, and subsequently cry out in pain. My stomach sinks as the realization of what I did hits me. This wound will not heal quickly, and with my scream, I just gave away my position. If anything, I worsened my predicament; I just made myself easier to find. I'm still weak and the pain from my wound is so intense that I can't move properly, making my bending suffer. I know that I will stand no chance in a fight, so I attempt to run instead.

Of course, I don't make it very far before I fall. I feel weaker now than when I started. I won't be able to last very long against anyone in a fight, but I'm not going to end up being able to run either. I don't know who is after us, but I know that, from the way the forest is lighting up, whoever they are, they are Fire Benders. I hope that Aang had on his disguise so they don't immediately realize who we are. If he's smart, he'll only be using Earth Bending.

I hear a twig snap, so I know that there are men tracking me. I've left a clear trail of footprints behind me because I just wanted to get as far away as fast as I could. I prepare myself for my last stand. I prop myself up against a tree and then I use the last ounces of my energy to pull a stream of water from my water skin to create a water whip. I will not go down quietly.

The soldiers have finally caught up to me. I send a whip of water at one, quickly knocking him off of his feet and the rest of the men promptly slip into fighting stances. There are five of them left and I have no chance, but that does not mean that I still can't make their lives difficult. They are not the royal guards that we normally fight. One can tell by their helmets. The royal guard has Fire Nation red helmets with a black trim that extends past the helmet like feathers, but these guards have the standard army helmet with white eye holes. They must be some of the guards to one of the local towns out on a routine patrol who just happened to run into four strange teenagers that fought back.

If we didn't fight, I'm sure that they would have eventually let us go, but with our track record, it is best to not take any chances. Because of this fight, when captured, I know that I'll be taken prisoner. Since it's war time, there is no telling where I might end up.

The soldiers move to surround me and I strike again. They have learned and quickly send my water up in smoke. I try again, but I am weaker than before. This time, my shot goes wide. Next thing I know, I am surrounded by fire. Any other time, this would be an easy thing to get out of, but now... now, I am trying not to fall over.

If I fall that could be my end. I am the last waterbender of the Southern Water tribe. They took all our benders once and kept them away from their home until they died. I don't want that happen to me. While I have trust in Aang's abilities, I am not sure if they are truly enough to end the war. If I fall, I will be captured; if I am captured, I may never return home and will surely meet my end.

All of my efforts are in vain. I slip and find myself on the ground in a whirlwind of fire. As I black out, I realize that I just went from one hostage situation to another.

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When I wake up again, I am in chains within a cell. A chain comes out of the wall and is attached to my wrist with a cuff. This restricts my movements to only being able to reach the bed and the toilet in my cell. I start to freak out because there is no way that I can fight back.

The pain in my stomach is nearly unbearable. I feel around for any type of water. I find some but it is on the other side of the steel walls of what appears to be, upon further inspection, a ship. They must be pumping in dry air because I cannot pull even a droplet of water from the air.

There is no hope for me escaping from here. The ship I am on feels as if it is moving swiftly, and I wonder where they are taking me with such speed. Are we leaving the Earth Kingdom or just going to another port within the gigantic nation? Either one means trouble for me. The most secure prisons are in the Fire Nation and the most dangerous prisons are in the Earth Kingdom.

"Hey," I shout out in hopes to elicit some response. "Hey! Where are we going?" I shout again, but louder.

This time, a soldier walks up to my cell. "Shut up, prisoner. There are special plans for you once we make it to the Capitol. Take these herbs so you can be a good little girl once we arrive." He tosses herbs at me then proceeds to walk away. I take a serious look at them. They are Chi blockers. If taken every forty-eight hours, they block even the strongest master's bending. You can tell if they are in use because of how one's pupils will over-dilate. There is no way that I will be able to hide my bending from my captors by refusing to take the herbs.

I am helpless here.

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The next time I awake, the contents of my cell have changed. Instead being sparsely furnished with just a bed and a toilet, it now contains food and clothes. The clothes are Fire Nation red and I suppose that I will be expected to wear them as long as I am kept here.

Not to knock Fire Nation fashion—the dress is truly beautiful with a wonderfully made material—but red is not my color. If I am meant to be a prisoner, I do not know why they would dress me so well. I understand the fact that the Fire Nation has a lot of money, but you wouldn't think they would dress their prisoners as if they are going to be paraded around their capital.

I finally feel us dock and I have just enough time to scarf down the food in my cell before a guard comes and unlocks the door.

"Come long prisoner, it is time to see your new home," he barks.

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They walk me off the ship to the docks. No one glances up at us. Either the people here are so used to prisoners arriving that it does not faze them or they are truly afraid of their government. They all divert their faces from me, so I will always be wondering the truth.

We walk through the city. The transition between the housing districts is slow but present. The houses slowly grow larger and more ornate, and then finally become downright regal. You can tell the switch from merchant homes and the nobility: there are less people in the streets, the hedges and fences are higher, and some of the houses even have security patrolling outside.

We reach what I can only assume is the Fire Palace. Everything, even the outside walls, is trimmed in gold. From outside, all you can see over those high surrounding walls is the sloping tiled red roof - the definition of elegance here. We approach the gates and stop for the first time since we started our journey began from the ship. My captor speaks to the guard on duty, "I am here with the prince's gift."

"It's about time you got here. The Fire Lord was getting impatient. But she seems to be worth the wait; she is quite the exotic beauty."

At this point, my amazement at the capital city turns to pure fear. I understand that prisoners have little to no meaning here, but I don't know why the Fire Lord would care about the arrival of an "exotic beauty". Also, why would I be on the special chi blocking herbs? My stomach sinks as I am hit with the sudden realization that if I was meant to be a normal prisoner, they wouldn't have bothered with those herbs. I would have just been sent to a prison and if I was caught bending, I would be highly punished.

Any further contemplation is interrupted by the soldier's orders, "Go ahead and take the whore to the harem. She will get further training there before she is given to the prince as his welcome home present."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**The Lightning's Hand**

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**Katara**

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><p>My escort leads me through the maze of hallways in the Fire Palace. They are even more intricate than the palace in the in the Northern Water Tribe. As much as my fear demanded me to look down, I keep my eyes open and look around for any way out.<p>

With all the twists and turns in the hallways, no matter how hard I try to figure out where I am, I become hopelessly lost. We arrive at what I believe is my destination. I can tell because my guard pushes aside silk curtains and we entered a grand pillowed room. I see women lounging. What little garments they wear are made with thin, flowing fabric. A middle-aged woman dressed in more clothes than the rest quickly approaches us.

"Is this my new charge?" she asks.

"The whore is here to be trained," my guard says, nodding.

"She is no whore," the woman shouts. "She is to be the courtesan to the future Fire Lord of your nation."

"But she is our prisoner," the guard replies timidly.

"No 'but' out of my Harem."

Without any further debate, the soldier promptly leaves. The woman looks at me and extends her hand to me.

"Hello dear, my name is Ma Ling. What shall I call you?"

"My name is Katara," I say.

"Welcome to your new home, Katara. It is my job to teach you what you need to know to please the Prince."

"Please the Prince?" I ask hesitantly.

"As you can see, dear, we do not have many girls that look like you or have your specific talents here in the Fire Nation. The Fire Lord wants to gift something special and unique to his son for his return from fighting the Avatar. Unfortunately for you, the news of your capture reached his ears just as he stared looking. The fact that you were different only made his desire for you stronger."

The more Ma Ling speaks, the shorter and more shallow my breaths become. Soon, my surroundings begin to swim and I realize that I am just short of hyperventilating. The Fire Lord personally requested me. Does this mean that he realizes who I am and who I have helped and wants to punish me himself? Or does it mean that I just had really bad timing?

Ma Ling sees my panic. "Are you okay, dear?"

"I am just overwhelmed," I say, trying to keep things simple. In truth, what I am feeling cannot be summarized in a short sentence like that. There's also resentment towards the Fire Lord for bringing me here, hatred for this nation for starting this war, fear that I will be found out for who I truly am, and uncertainty for what is to come.

Ma Ling continues as if trying to get me to forget my inner turmoil. "Finding out about the change of lifestyle can throw anyone. My girls here can help; most of them have gone through the same thing. It will take time, but you will adjust." She gives me a reassuring smile, but I am still not that easily convinced. "Now come along and I'll show you to your chambers."

Ma Ling leads me to the back of the brothel and moves aside a curtain that I thought was just hiding a wall. It turns out to be another room. Unlike the others, this one was meant to be a bedroom with a bed and a small dresser.

"This will be your room while you are training and when the prince has other commitments."

I fold my arms over my stomach as if I had a stomach ache. "So I'm just his glorified toy?"

Ma Ling sighs and her smile slightly fades. "I wouldn't use those exact words, but in a way, yes."

"How do you live like this?"

"Except for a few unpleasant moments, we live a charmed life. Here we are fed and clothed while being protected from the war." Ma Ling trails off but after a moment, her smile returns. "Now get some rest. Today may have been long, but tomorrow will be longer."

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I guess the travel and introduction of the day have tired me out because I do not think of food as I crawl into bed even though my stomach was growling with hunger only minutes before. Soon enough, I am asleep and I start to dream.

I am back in the Southern Water Tribe, wrapped in my sleeping furs. Gran-Gran rushes into my room and says, "Katara, you have slept late! You should be up and ready. Your suitor is coming today to meet you. Hurry! The scouts have spotted his ship."

I think nothing of Gran-Gran's comments. Since I am the Chief's daughter and we are in a time of war, it has been expected of me for a while to marry someone whose power and influence can help our efforts.

I pull on one of my nicer blue parkas, put my hair into my signature braid with my bangs hanging in loops, and then head out of my igloo. I do not see anyone until I reach the docks. The entire village is here. Being the Southern Water Tribe, that is not saying much, but something important must be happening to have everyone gathered together like that. I move through the crowd to get to the edge of the docks to get a better look at the incoming ship.

Once I make it to the front I see the ship come over the horizon. It approaches quickly so I can soon see the finer details. It is a Fire Nation ship. I feel fear shoot through my entire body. I do not understand why my father would arrange my marriage to a man from the Fire Nation.

While I am still pondering this, my father comes up to me, puts his hand on my shoulder and says, "Katara, I am so proud of you. A marriage between the Water Tribe and the Fire Nation will secure this time of peace."

Powerless to the course of the dream, before I know what I am doing, I say, "Yes Father, I could not be happier with this match."

No other words are exchanged between my father and I, but throughout the ship's docking sequence my mind continues to race. Dad says the war is over so this marriage is meant to secure the peace, but when and how did the war end? Why am I happy with this match?

I cannot ponder any farther because the ship's doors are opening. I soon see a plethora of guards get off the ship with their helmets. Among them I see a high ponytail that stands just above the helmets. I am guessing this is the man that is meant to be my husband.

The guards march to my place then part to allow the high ponytail through. I first look at his pointy boots—black with gold trim—to his grey soldier's pants, his red armored shirt, and then to his scarred face. It is a face that I have seen more than I would like. It is Zuko. He comes up to me and kisses me on the lips like we have done it before.

I wake up screaming.


	3. Chapter 3

**An A/N from the writer:** Thank you all for the love that you have given me so far on this Fan Fiction. I'm sorry that the posts are every two weeks but with school, college applications, and work, there is no possible way to speed up this process. Just as an FYI, I already have most of my chapters planned out, and I hope that they aren't too predictable. Also a big thank you to the lovely adsiderum for posting and editing my story. Hope you all keep reading because I have a lot more planned!

In response to the review from Savannah Wild… I never meant that Katara ever looked bad in the series, I just meant that red was not her favorite color when she looked so well in her native Blue.

-CM

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**The Lightning's Hand**

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_**Katara**_

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><p>Ma Ling rushes into my room,<p>

"Katara are you all right?"

At this point I am having a panic attack. The dream felt so real. I know most people say that about one dream or another, but my body felt so sure of it's actions while my thoughts found themselves in a totally new situation.

Ma Ling, now closer, repeats, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it was just a bad… dream"

"Well it may be a little early, but we can start your training. Today you will learn your way around the palace. Come with me and I will show you where you can get clothes while you are staying here."

I get up and follow Ma Ling out into the cushioned room across the way and through another curtain that was a deep purple instead of the maroon one that was placed in front of my room.

When we walk into this new room, my breath is taken away. there are racks and racks of clothing stuffed into this medium sized room. I look around and see mostly different shades of red and orange, but there is also a small green and yellow section and an almost non-existent blue section.

I try and head for the blue material, but Ma Ling stops me.

"Unless requested, we are required to only wear the red clothing. I am sure that you will find the choices sufficient. Go ahead and choose an outfit, come and find me in the main area once you are changed."

Ma Ling leaves me alone and I start to shift through the clothes. None of them provide much coverage. I end up settling on a long red skirt with a matching top that covered everything but my arms and my midriff. Before I leave the room, I stop in front of the room's mirror to fix my hair in the typical fashion, braiding two strands of hair and clipping it to the back of my head.

As soon as Ma Ling sees me, she clucks and starts pulling at my clothes and my hair.

"Your outfit will do for today, but we will have to find you something more fashionable to wear before you meet the prince. You always need to wear your hair down; it looks much better that way. Also, we need to find something for you to do with that necklace of yours."

I grip my mother's necklace before I respond. "I've had it since my mother died, I'm not going to get rid of it."

"I never said that you have to get rid of it, it just won't be the best to wear it around your neck while you are here. Try around your ankle. It will still be there, just in a different place."

I consider it and move the necklace slowly. I feel a pang of regret as I wrap it around my ankle as if this is betraying my family. But at least one of the few things I had left from my village would not be stolen from me.

Ma Ling starts to lead me out of the harem. She leads me through the well decorated halls. Before we have been walking for even a minute, the halls become more ornate. The pictures grow in size, vases have richer colors, and the pillars seem to have more carvings.

Ma Ling speaks in a hushed whisper, "This is the royal family's wing. Each member has their own hallway; Azula is the first one on your left, Zuko the second, and the Fire Lord is on your right. You will be spending most of your time is Zuko's room."

I nod to signal my understanding, but it does not mean that I am happy about my situation. I have gone from fighting as one of the best Waterbending masters of the world to having to serve one of my greatest enemies.

It is at this point I notice the guards. I knew that they were there -there are some scattered around everywhere here- but I had not realized that they were looking at me.

Ma Ling sees me looking at them and says,

"You are a true beauty and normally the guards have access to whichever girl they want. You are new and you are different and they cannot have you. It might be best if you keep your eyes down."

I've been on the road so long that I hadn't realized that I was growing into a woman men would look at.

Ma Ling notices this and puts her arm around my shoulder. "Come along and we will move to the next part of the palace." She leads me to a more open space. The pillars disappear and there is a large green lawn bordered by the vibrant colors of a hundred flowers. Next to a small pond in the middle of it, there is a figure sitting and feeding the baby turtle ducks. As we get closer, I see a scar and then gasp. The figure looks up at me with glowing ember eyes that flicker with recognition.

I turn and run.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** This is a short chapter, but because I have not written in awhile (gosh darn you college applications) I wanted to get something out. There should be a larger chapter coming in the next few days. Also I am adding *warning fluff* as suggested by a few readers. I promise more action and adventure is coming soon.

-CM

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**The Lightning's Hand**

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_**Katara**_

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><p>I can't believe that I didn't notice it earlier. I should have figured it out. Of course the prince is him. I don't know why I didn't guess. He is the prince of the Fire Nation. I just thought that he would remain disgraced. No one said his name though so I just didn't think about it. He was just going to be some man that I would hate for the rest of my life. With all that Zuko has done, this is just perfectly ironic.<p>

I start plotting how to stop taking my Chi-blocking herbs. If I can casually toss them somewhere, I'll be able to fight back when it is finally time for me to go to him.

By this time I have reached the Harem again. I pant as I bust through the curtain, and the other women look at me while I hustle through the heavily cushioned room to my special little area. I am still in shock. Why of all people in the entire world do I have to go to the wretched creature that has been trying to murder Aang since he emerged from his iceberg? Tui and La, please save me from this fate.

After my short little prayer to the gods that seem so far away from me here, Ma Ling yanks my curtain aside and stands intimidatingly in front of me.

"Katara, that is no proper way to act in the palace - in front of the crown prince, no less. I had to explain away why one of my charges behaved like that in one of the most cherished places in the palace."

"I just realized who the prince was. Please, you cannot make me serve him." I beg on my knees.

"That is what you are here for, so that is what you will do" Ma Ling says. For the first time her voice is not compassionate. With her ability to switch between kind and demanding, it is easily understood why she holds the position she does.

"Please, no, you can't."

"You will do what you are told and that is final. I will expect you at lunch to discuss your duties here in the palace."

Ma Ling stomps out of my room and I am left to contemplate my situation. I haven't been in the palace long enough to know my way around and with the number of guards I've seen in the hallways, there isn't a chance for me to escape before I am meant to be his. Again my mind wanders back to the herbs. If I stop taking them, it would take a week for my water bending to return and after then, I'd be able to fight back. I may not be able to burst out the front gate, but if I wait until night I should be able to climb over the palace walls and take out a few guards if need be.

I now have some sparkle of hope. I for sure need to find a way to stop taking my herbs. In the meantime, I have a way to get close enough to incapacitate the man who has been hunting the GAang for so long. If I am stuck in this situation, I may as well use it to help win the war.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**The Lightning's Hand**

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_**Katara**_

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><p>I head out of my room to the staff cafeteria. My head droops and my feet shuffle. Even with my little ray of hope, my spirits are still dashed. If I am able to assassinate Zuko, it does not give me much hope of making it out of the palace alive. It may be greater for the world and the war efforts, but it may mean that I will never see my friends or family ever again.<p>

With these thoughts still in my head I get my food and sit in a corner by myself. Ma Ling soons join me. There is no smile on her face.

"Our timeline has been accelerated. You are meeting with the prince tonight. You are to do what he asks of you," she says as she pushes something toward me. "You are to take these." I look down to see the pile of herbs and some hot water that is now in front of me. "Those are both for your bending and will help you keep from having extra mouths to feed. You will have a dose of each once a day."

This may protect me from carrying the devil's spawn, but it only cements what is going to happen tonight with Zuko. I always thought that my first time would be with someone that I cared dearly for. Now there is a countdown to my doom.

I have less than 6 hours until I have to become the filth's whore. I have no way to stop it from happening. Sokka did give me some hand to hand combat, but I never took it serious enough to practice it very hard. If I were to fight Zuko, I'd only stand a small chance against him until he starts to use his firebending; then I don't stand a chance at all.

Ma Ling shoots me a look to take my herbs. I down them without a second thought because I am so preoccupied with what is to happen tonight.

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The hours pass quickly, and before I know it, it is time for dinner. I have been inconsolable all day. Some of the other girls were trying to talk to me but eventually they realized I wasn't even hearing what they had to say.

I am still preoccupied with the thought of what is going to happen tonight that I do not notice Ma Ling come and sit down in front of me. She startles me out of my thought by barking orders at me. "After you finish eating, I and two guards will escort you to the prince's room. There is an outfit waiting for you in there. You will clean yourself up and then put on that outfit. And remember - you will do what the prince tells you and nothing less."

Ma Ling pauses as she waits for me to respond. Even though I was not entirely present, I listened to her because I was waiting for her to pardon me from the horrible activities that are set to occur tonight.

"Katara, do you understand me?"

I nod my head yes, and Ma Ling leaves. I spend another thirty minutes pushing the food around my plate before I just sit and stare at the wall. A few moments later, Ma Ling approaches me with two guards flanking her on either side. The guards walk around the table towards me and I slowly stand up. They each grab one of my biceps and half-drag me out of the dining room.

We soon reach the prince's room. Once there, Ma Ling pushes through the door. We enter this overly ornate room. The walls all are made out of a dark wood and covered with the Fire Nation flag. Above the red canopied bed there is a large painting of a happy family. My eyes start at the father figure standing behind the rest and move down. There is a beautiful woman sitting and holding a little girl, and has a hand resting on a boy's shoulder who is standing in the front. Except for the man, the family looks happy. This must be the royal family from years ago.

I cannot believe that this once happy family has turned into the tortures that are known today. One has to wonder what changed them into who they are now.

The guards lead me to the bed and roughly toss me on. Ma Ling approaches me.

"You are to wait here for the prince. When he is done he will either send you back or have you stay. Listen to what he says and all will be fine. Until you prove you won't run, I have to tie you here."

One of the guards grabs my wrist and ties a rope around my wrist while the other guard ties his side to the bed post. The rope is long enough so I have some room to move around, but not enough leeway to reach anywhere close to the door.

Ma Ling nods her head at me and leaves with the guards. I'm stuck awaiting the redeemed prince. I turn my attention to the knots keeping me bound. I lose myself trying to untie the knots. It looked so simple when the guards tied it, but now I can barely even loosen the knot.

I am so intent on the knot that I lose track of time and the next thing I know, I hear the door open behind me.


End file.
